Wrench



Patente dlar. 7, I899. 0. HASTINGS.

lINiTED. STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

OW'EN HASTINGS, OF VEST, MISSISSIPPI.

'WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 620,772, dated March 7, 1899.

Application filed January 12, 1899. Serial No. 701,943. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OWEN HASTINGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at West, in the county of Holmes and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Wrenches and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in wrenches, and especially to a sliding-j aw wrench, in which the movable j aw may be readily slid on the shank of the handle, so as to be brought in contact with the device to be turned without the necessity of rotating a screw which operates said sliding jaw. In connection with the sliding jaw I provide a spring-actuated rack-bar, which is thrown out of the path of the teeth on the slidingj aw when the latter is slid on the shank of the handle, but when adjusted to its place may be locked securely from movement in either direction by means of intermeshing teeth on said spring-bar and jaw.

A further part of the invention resides in the provision of a slidin g-j aw wrench in which the jaw is allowed to slide on the shank of the handle and a spring-actuated rack-bar designed to be thrown out of the path of the jaw when it is desired to allow the latter to slide into an adjusted position and a springactuated catch held on the end of the rackbar and adapted to automatically catch over the projection of the handle and hold the rack-bar in its locking relation, said catch being released when it is desired to allow the rack-bar to spring out, so that the teeth carried thereby will not engage with the teeth of the sliding jaw.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain the same consists in the novel construction,combination, and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claim.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification and in which drawings similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, in which Figure l is a vertical central longitudinal section through the wrench, showing the sliding jaw locked in a fixed position; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the bar released from engagement with the sliding jaw.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the shank of the stationary jaw B of the wrench, and C is the sliding jaw, which is adjusted at difterent locations on the shank of the stationary jaw and is provided with a series of ratchetteeth 0 on its inner face. Securely held in a recess in the shank of the stationary jaw is a rack-bar D, which has a series of teeth D on its under edge adjacent to the teeth on the sliding jaw, and a spring E, mounted in a slot in the handle H, has its free end engaging with the under edge of the bar D and adapted to normally throw it out of engagement with the teeth of the sliding jaw. At the extreme free end of the spring-actuated bar D is a spring-actuated catch K, which as the said free end is depressed the notched end of said catch will engage over a projection on the handle, as shown at M, and securely hold the said rack-bar in the slot in the handle, so that its upper edge will be flush with the circumference of said handle. If desired, the said handle may be made solid ormade up of two complemental pieces, which may be held together by a nut N, as shown in the drawings.

The operation of my wrench will be readily understood, as when it is desired to adjust the jaws to a nut or bolt or other article to be operated upon the operator detaches the catch from the handle and the spring E will throw the rack-bar D outward, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the teeth thereon will be out of the path of the teeth on the sliding jaw, which will allow the latter to slide longitudinally on the shank of the stationary jaw up to the article to be gripped thereby, and when in an adjusted position the operator merely depresses the free end of the rack-bar, the spring-catch will engage over the shoulder 011 the handle, and the teeth of the rack-bar will mesh with the teeth on the sliding jaw and hold the lat ter in a fixed position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isy In a sliding-j aw wrench, the combination with the stationary jaw and handle secured thereto, a sliding jaw mounted on the shank of the handle and provided with a series of teeth on its inner face, of a spring-actuated rackbar mounted in a recess in the shank of the handle and a spring-actuated catch secured 10 to the free end of said bar and adapted to hold the teeth on said rack-bar in engagement with the teeth of the sliding jaw when the latter has been adjusted in place, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature I5 in presence of two witnesses.

OWEN HASTINGS. Witnesses:

W. J. DIOKEN, T. L. WEsT. 

